Transcript Chapter 12
South America Andes Mountains The Andes Mountains are the longest and one of the highest mountain ranges in the world. stretch 4,500 miles from north to south, along the west coast of the continent. The climate is not the same throughout the biome because there are places nearer to the equator than others. separated into three natural regions: the southern, central, and northern regions. In the northern region, it is hotter because it is closest to the equator. There are rain forests in this region, due to the more humid, rainy climate. In the southern region, the mountains are nearer to the Antarctic and it is much colder. It is not very populated in the southern area. I. Caribbean Countries Two nations: Colombia and Venezuela Andes mountains start here in the North Both located in the Tropics, but altitude is the major influence on the climate Colombia Contains South America’s two main geographical features: Andes and Amazon Basin Unique because has coasts on both the Caribbean and the Pacific Most people live in the cool valleys of the Andes Capital: Bogota Worlds largest producer of Arabica coffee—the highest quality coffee bean Produces 90% of the worlds emeralds, set the standard Largest export: illegal drugs Llanos: one of the largest undeveloped areas in the world, cover 60% of Colombia Venezuela Capital: Caracas Orinoco River (3rd longest on the continent) connects to Amazon Only 2 rivers in the world that have flesh-eating piranhas Lake Maracaibo- largest lake on the South American continent Discovered oil under the lake, made Venezuela the richest SA country Home of Angel Falls- one of the top ten highest waterfalls II. Guiana Highlands Guyana Was a British colony until 1966 Tepuis: huge, block shaped mountains Capital: Georgetown Suriname Gained independence from the Dutch in 1975 Fewest people per square mile than any other SA country Capital: Paramaribo French Guiana Still under European control= only one Sends reps to Paris Most famous place: Devil’s Island, abandoned prison colony Capital: Cayenne Tepuis III. The Andean Countries Ecuador Means “equator” Exports: bananas, cacao Capital: Quito Tallest active volcano in the world: Cotopaxi Galapagos Islands 500 miles West of Ecuador Famous for 500 lb. turtles Read pg. 301 Endemic-- Andean Countries Peru Largest Andean nation Still a big population of Incan descendants Speak Quechua (where we get llama and puma) Capital: Lima City of contrast: beautiful Spanish architecture, but one of largest barriadas (slums) on the continent Largest producer of gold in the world Interesting sight: Nazca Lines Mysterious designs drawn by unknown civilization When seen from sky, look like animals (some exist hundreds of miles away) Machu Picchu Last Incan strong hold to be discovered “City in the Clouds”- wedged btw 2 mountains Buildings made without mortar, granite stones cut perfectly to fit together Read pg. 303 Video Andean Countries Bolivia- named in honor of Simon Bolivar Landlocked nation, Chile gives access to the sea City life is modern, Rural life is primitive, 70% live in poverty Highest Infant Mortality Rate and lowest Literacy Rate in South America Capital: La Paz- world’s highest capital in elevation (12,000 feet) administrative capital Sucre- legal capital Chile Only 100 miles wide North: desert, sardine fishing grounds, copper production Center: valley, ski resorts and beautiful scenery Capital: Santiago South: group of islands, stretch to end of SA One of most economically successful countries in SA IV. The Rio de la Plata Argentina 8th largest country in the world 85% of Argentines have European heritage Buenos Aires: Capital city Southern end= high plateau called Patagonia Named “big feet” for Indians with oversized boot that stuffed grass inside for insulation Pampas- low plains Has potential to be a leader in world affairs, plagued by political strife Most famous caudillo “strongman”Juan Peron and his wife Evita- promised to help the poor, but put the country in debt Read about gauchos pg. 310 IV. The Rio de la Plata Uruguay Capital: Montevideo Speak Spanish, but Portuguese is common along the border with Brazil Most European population in SA Paraguay Capital: Asuncion Unstable government: civil wars and wars with neighboring countries have held it back Speak Spanish for official things, Indian language of Guarani for daily life Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It is a bi-national undertaking run by both Brazil and Paraguay The name "Itaipu" was taken from an island that existed near the construction site. In the Guarani language, Itaipu means "the sound of a stone" Itaipu Dam Falkland Islands Archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located approximately 290 mi from the coast of mainland South America. self-governing British Overseas Territory Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982. This precipitated the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom V. Brazil 5th largest nation in the world and 5th most populous Largest Roman Catholic nation in the world Brasilia: capital city since 1960 Independence from Portugal in 1822, Dom Pedro, son of the Portuguese king declared Brazil independent and himself the King Brazil stayed a monarchy for 66 yrs Dom Pedro II was overthrown in 1888 Brazil became a republic Read about Brasilia pg. 317 V. Brazil Sao Paulo- largest city in South America and 5th largest city in the world Very fertile area: coffee is biggest seller Sao Paulo coffee makes Brazil the world leader in coffee Christ the Redeemer Brazil's central religion since the 16th century has been Christianity with Roman Catholicism being the most prominent. It has the highest number of baptized Roman Catholics in the world with about 74% of Brazilians declaring Catholicism as their religion. Christ the Redeemer, a large art deco-style effigy, is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and stands 38 meters high. It was built between 1926 and 1931 and after some time there was also a chapel built at the base of the mountain to house 150 visitors The Amazon Greatest river system in the world, 2nd longest Carries more water than any other river Very few people live in the Amazon rain forest Very humid and uncomfortable Indians that do live there invented the hammock Practice slash-and-burn agriculture Read about Amazon pg. 318 Deforestation Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land. Farms established during the 1960s were based on crop cultivation and the slash and burn method. The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short period of time, so farmers are constantly moving to new areas and clearing more land These farming practices led to deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage.